Smells Like Team Spirit
by Lexxicon
Summary: Here we are now...please review us! 'Cause it's finished...and contagious!
1. First Impressions

**_Author's note:_** Welcome to my first real attempt at _SVU_ multi-chapter. If I start to fall behind, feel free to poke me with a stick.

**_Disclaimer:_ **OW! Hey, I said if I fall behind! Anyway…I don't own any of these characters. Including Special Agent Smith. He just kinda wrote himself.

* * *

"Fin, Munch! Scene was just called in. You're headed out," Cragen announced, dropping a file onto Munch's desk.

"I thought we were catching today," Elliot said, looking up from the folder he was filling out.

"Change of plans. You and Benson are going home and packing."

"What? Why?" Olivia asked, bewildered.

"The higher-ups have ordained that we pick one pair to go to this team-building seminar they're doing in conjunction with the FBI. You're driving down to Quantico."

Elliot leaned back in his chair and gave Cragen an incredulous look. "Just like that? We don't even get to draw straws? Flip a coin? You're just picking us."

"Yes, I'm just picking you," Cragen challenged.

Elliot looked from him to Olivia, who merely raised her eyebrows and looked down at her desk in an "I'm not getting into this one" gesture. Elliot shrugged and said, "Okay. When do we leave?"

"Check-in is tomorrow morning from nine till eleven," Cragen said, plopping a folder on Elliot's desk and walking back to his office. "The hotel's booked. Information is in the file."

"Great," Elliot murmered sarcastically, picking up the folder.

"And keep your travel receipts!" Cragen called out before shutting his office door.

The next morning, two hours before the sun was up, Elliot was knocking on Olivia's door. She opened it wide, letting him inside and stifling a yawn. "I really have to talk to my neighbors about letting just anyone into the building," she teased.

"Yeah, well, my charming smile gets them every time," he countered, flashing said smile and holding out a cup of coffee.

"Right," she answered cheekily, gratefully accepting the cup after zipping her duffle bag shut.

They loaded her things into the trunk of Elliot's car and set off for the week-long workshop. It was about five hours from Manhattan to Quantico, and they traded off driving halfway through.

Finally, around 10:15, Olivia pulled into the parking lot of the Holiday Inn.

They unloaded their bags and walked into the lobby. "I'm gonna grab another cup of coffee," Olivia said, pointing to the lounge area. "You want one?"

"Yeah," Elliot said, reaching for her bag and shouldering it. "I'll get us checked in here."

She nodded and walked away. She had to wait for the attendant to put out a fresh pot, then poured two cups and fixed Elliot's coffee the way he took it. When she got back to the check-in desk, Elliot was having an argument with the clerk.

"Look, I realize that the hotel is full this weekend, but there's got to be _something_ you can do about it!"

"What's up?" Olivia asked, putting the cups on the counter and putting a placating hand on his back.

"They only booked us one room," Elliot said.

"There _are_ two beds," the clerk interjected. At Elliot's venemous look, he added meekly, "I can page the conference director, if you'd like."

"That would be great," Elliot said sarcastically.

"Elliot," Liv said exasperatedly.

"Alright, I'm sorry," he said, picking up one of the styrofoam cups she'd placed on the counter and taking a sip. He immediately pulled it back, making a face.

"That would be yours," he said, handing her the cup and picking up the other. He tasted it cautiously, then took a longer sip upon confirming it was his.

"Detectives?" an inquiring voice called out behind them. The partners turned around and found themselves being addressed by a brick wall with legs.

"Hi, I'm Special Agent Greg Smith. I'm directing the conference," he said, holding out his hand to Elliot. He gripped the proffered shovel-sized palm. Olivia held out her hand, which was completely ignored by the gruff director.

Elliot took a mental note of this, but said nothing. "Special Agent Smith, I assume you've been made aware of our rooming situation."

"Yeah, I guess there was a misunderstanding. I assumed all units were sending same-sex pairs."

"Well, how can we fix it?" Olivia cut in, annoyed at being ignored.

Smith could barely hide the contemptuous glance at Olivia before directing the answer at Elliot. "Since it's too late for your captain to send a different pair, you two are gonna have to stick with the rooming situation. The hotel's completely booked." And with that wholly inadequate answer, he flashed a politician's grin and turned to greet other conference participants mulling about.

"Where's my gun?" Olivia murmured, her fingers seeming to twitch at her weaponless belt.

"It's in your luggage," Elliot whispered in her ear. He picked up her bag, ready to carry it for her, but one look at her face told him that his chivalry would not be appreciated. Instead, he slid the handle of her duffle into her grasping fingers and picked up his own suitcase. "C'mon," he chuckled, nudging her backside with his bag, "let's get settled."

* * *

"I just don't understand how someone like Smith gets to the position he's at with the archaic attitude he has about women!"

"Uh-huh," Elliot agreed automatically, putting shirts away in a drawer. A pillow came pelting his way, catching him on the side of his head. "Hey!" he protested.

"Elliot, _listen_ to me when I'm ranting," she snapped.

"I'm listening!" he said, picking the pillow up and chucking it back at her. She caught it easily and tossed it back against the headboard, then flopped back on the bed, her legs dangling over the side.

He moved over to where she was sprawled and lay down in similar fashion beside her. After a moment, he propped himself up on his side so that he could study her face.

She continued her rant as though there had been no interruption. "You know, it's kind of ironic that you're the one who was vocal against doing this thing, and I'm the one who's gonna get the raw deal this week."

"Yeah, but just think how much better we're gonna work together," he said with mock earnestness.

She just rolled her eyes and pushed herself up off the bed. "Well, I suppose we'd better go. Don't want to give him any more reason to hate our team."

With one last reassuring pat on the back, Elliot followed his partner out.

_**To be continued…**_

Okay, you readers will have to be very patient with me on this. I'm in the writing spirit now, and hopefully I'll remain this way to the end of the story. But if I hit the occasional dry spell, feel free to offer extra encouragement. ;)


	2. Evening the Score

**_Author's note:_** Wow, I didn't realize so many people would actually read this. Thanks for the reviews! Seeing as I have an audience, that will help motivate me to write. So in case you decide to forgo reviewing a chapter, remember that it is what fuels how quickly I get these written.

**_Disclaimer:_** Unfortunately, no matter how quickly I write them, I never get any closer to actually owning…anything.

* * *

"Elliot, I don't see one other woman in this room. Why is that?"

Elliot had noticed as much, and his only response was to shake his head and shrug his shoulders.

"Detective Benson, did you have something to add?" Agent Smith asked, interrupting his own introductory briefing.

She flushed at the unexpected calling out. "No, I'm sorry."

He continued with his talk as though nothing had happened, but Liv was now getting the occasional glance from the eighteen other agents and detectives around the room.

"So today we're just gonna focus on getting to know one another. This will give us all a good opportunity to meet some people from other agencies around the region," he concluded.

The meeting broke and the conference participants got up from their seats to mingle before the actual scheduled task.

Olivia, as the only female—and an attractive one to boot—was Miss Popularity as nearly all the men queued up to introduce themselves to her. Elliot got unceremoniously pushed to the side.

"So, Detective Benson," said a man who introduced himself as Detective Ron Stewart, "what does your _husband_ think about your line of work?"

She smiled knowingly and replied, "Subtle. I'm not married." She made a mental note: _Detective "Bad Pick-up Line" Stewart._

Unfortunately, this particular memorization method turned out to be ineffective, as half the detectives who introduced themselves tried the same tactics.

Olivia scanned the room for who she was beginning to think was the only sane man, which was a scary thought considering she'd often called him crazy. She spotted him laughing with a couple other guys near the water cooler and started pushing her way towards him.

"Miss Benson," a young guy said, stepping in her path.

She looked at him and said, with forced patience, "Yes?"

"You seem far too young to be a detective. Did you just graduate training?"

She rolled her eyes and didn't even justify the false flattery with a response. She pushed past the kid—who looked as though he himself had just graduated training—and took the last couple strides to her partner.

She grasped his arm and said pleadingly, "Save me."

He looked down at her in amusement and grinned, obviously enjoying her discomfort. He then addressed the two men he had been talking to. "Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce my partner, Olivia Benson. Liv, this is Agent Reynolds and Agent Curry. They're Feds."

She smiled warily before Elliot leaned down conspiratorially and said, "They're not interested in getting to know you on any more than a professional level. Both guys are married."

Her smile immediately warmed and she extended her hand to each of them.

"These guys have agreed to join up with us in the group sessions," Elliot continued. "I thought you might want a little bit of sanity."

"Thank you," she said, nudging his shoulder. He responded with a wink.

"Okay, people, eyes up here now," Agent Smith barked from the podium at the front. "As you recall, I had each of you fill out a short bio questionaire. I have them right here." He held up a stack of papers.

"Our first exercise is an introduction to the group. But instead of introducing yourselves, your partners are gonna introduce you. This is to determine how much you really know about each other right off the bat." He quickly scanned the group and zeroed in on Olivia. "Detective Benson, since you were so keen on speaking up earlier, we'll start with you. Introduce us to your partner." He pulled out what was no doubt Elliot's sheet and awaited her briefing.

Olivia seethed internally, but quickly quelled her anger in order to show just how good she could be at this game. She began to tell Elliot's entire life story.

When she had finished the main points, such as full name, date of birth, college degree and military service, Smith fired off more questions for her.

"Marital status?"

"Divorced."

"Children?"

"Four. Three girls, one boy."

"Names and ages?"

She listed each of his children, their ages, and even their birth dates. At this point, it appeared that some of the men around the room were beginning to see her as more than just the only woman at the conference.

"Favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Without looking, eye and hair color."

She stared at Smith unflinchingly. "Blue and brown."

"What's one thing he admires about you as a partner?"

Olivia paused, continuing to stare down the offensive agent. Finally she answered pointedly, "My patience with unsavory characters."

Smith narrowed his eyes. He knew that he had just been beaten. He flicked casually through the other surveys and turned his attention to another detective without so much as acknowledging her victory.

Elliot held out his hand, palm-up. She gave him a low-five, allowing a smug grin to grace her lips.

She started mentally keeping score. As of now, she was tied with Agent Smith.

She wouldn't let that stand for long.

**_To be continued…._**

This chapter is just kind of a transitory jump-off. The real team-building will start next chapter. As always, reviews are yummy. Served cooked or raw. Elliot on top optional, but mucho appreciato.


	3. A Decent End to a Bad Day

**_Author's note:_** Thanks again for reviewing! Keep it up!

**_Disclaimer:_** The only thing I get out of writing this is a wrist cramp and a way out of having a social life.

* * *

"So you guys know Smith. What the hell's his problem?"

Olivia was venting out her frustrations about Agent Smith by trying to figure him out. Agents Reynolds and Curry, having both received training from him, were only too happy to offer up information.

The four of them were in Curry's car, headed out to their afternoon orientation at the Quantico Government Training Facility.

"Smith's an ass, but he's damn good at his job," Reynolds began, then hastily added, "I mean, obviously, he couldn't have gotten where he is today without being damn good."

"Obviously," Elliot said. "So what gives on the hating women thing?"

"He doesn't hate women," Curry said. "He just doesn't think they belong in law enforcement."

"He's obviously never had a woman backing him up in tense situations," Elliot said proudly.

Olivia allowed a small smile to break through her anger.

A few minutes later, they were pulling into a clearing in the woods that served as a parking lot. Some agents and detectives were already gathered around a tree stump, atop of which stood Agent Smith.

When the last few cars had parked and their occupants congregated, he began to speak.

"Alright, gents," he started. Olivia clenched her fists next to Elliot, who reached over and nudged her palms open, tugging her pinky teasingly. Smith continued, "our first experiment in trust-building is one that I'm sure everyone's familiar with: the free fall."

There were a few subdued groans and not-as-subdued rolling of the eyes. Olivia, for her part, gave no reaction whatsoever, not wanting to attract Smith's attention again. Elliot, however, wasn't as wary of Smith's eye. He leaned over towards Olivia and muttered, "Wish he'd free fall off a building."

The corners of her mouth twitched and Smith seemed to sense it, because his eyes locked on her and said, "Miss Benson, did you and your partner just volunteer again?"

Liv stuck her chin out defiantly and answered, "It's _Detective_ Benson. And yes, I believe we just did."

Elliot seemed to be a step behind in what had just transpired, because he didn't know why Olivia was dragging him up to the front of the group until they were there.

"Okay, now the first demonstration is gonna be the common free fall. Stabler, you stand here, and your partner is gonna stand behind you. You're gonna fall back when you're ready to, and trust that she'll be _strong enough_ to catch you."

Olivia seethed at his employment of the words "strong enough." Elliot looked at her over his shoulder and nodded reassuringly. He then faced forward and, without hesitation, fell backwards.

Olivia's arms curled under his, and she bent her legs slightly to brace. Elliot grinned up into her face and she returned it before pushing him back upright.

"Okay, I want everyone else to try it," Smith called out, once again ignoring their small victory. "I'll be watching from right here."

A minute later, after all pairs had finished the exercise—some more than once—they regrouped.

"Alright, good work, men," Smith called out. "The remainder of the time today is yours to explore the training grounds here. Orient yourselves with the different areas, as you will have activities on almost all of them this week. There are training agents all around the complex, ready and willing to answer any questions you may have." He looked around the group to make sure everyone's eyes were on him before barking, "Dismissed."

As they dispersed, Agent Stewart came up to Olivia, giving her the once-over, twice. "Uh, Detective Benson?"

Olivia looked at him, remembering him as one of the agents who had tried to use a pick-up line on her. She raised her eyebrows in a "speak" gesture.

"Hey, I'm not sure if you remember—"

"Ron Stewart," she said in a tone that told him to get to the point.

"Right. Well, listen, I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot…" he said, trailing off.

She stared him down before replying, "Maybe because the right one was in your mouth." Before he could understand fully what just happened, she walked past him with Elliot in tow, howling with laughter.

* * *

That evening, in their room, Olivia was back to ranting. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, legs crossed Indian-style and hands making wild gestures to punctuate her talking points.

Elliot kept his attention on her this time, afraid she might throw something a little heavier than a pillow if he were to space out again.

"…don't think that he's allowed to do that, you know? Single us out, I mean. Just because he somehow wants to show I'm weak, thus validating his belief that women aren't cut out for law enforcement."

"I completely agree," Elliot said, his voice flat and gaze unfocused.

Olivia narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Also, I think on the last day, when we graduate from this seminar, I'm going to receive my certificate naked."

Elliot's expression remained glazed.

"What about you?" she prompted.

He moved his eyes into focus on her face. He stood up from the chair he'd been sitting in and walked over to her. He reached out his hand and gently grasped her necklaces, untangling them and setting them straight before answering, "Absolutely." He then leaned down and pressed a tired kiss onto her forehead before shuffling off to his own bed.

She found that she wasn't angry at him for not listening, mostly because she knew he really did try.

They each settled into their separate beds, and Elliot turned the bedside lamps off.

A minute passed in silence before Elliot said, "Liv?"

"Hmm?"

"If it's an outdoor ceremony, I can help with your sunblock."

**_To be continued…_**

Meanwhile, if _Elliot_ goes naked, everyone who reviews gets to help with _his _sunblock.


	4. Partners in Grime

**_Author's note:_** Sorry about the slight delay in this post. I'm making it up to you by posting the next chapter shortly.

**_Disclaimer:_** Still not mine.

* * *

"Morning, guys," Elliot said cheerfully as he and Olivia approached the table where Reynolds and Curry were nursing cups of coffee.

"Uhhnn…"

Olivia hesitated before sitting down slowly and asking, "Did you not sleep well?"

Curry answered, "The air conditioning unit in our room sounds like a freight train. It was either deal with the noise in atmospheric comfort or drown quietly in our own sweat."

"We tried both," Reynolds added.

"Sounds like a tough night," Liv said sympathetically.

"Yeah," Curry answered. "What about you? How's your room?"

"Our A/C purred like a kitten," Elliot answered, pouring a cup of coffee. "The only distraction was that Liv likes to sleep in the nude," he deadpanned.

There was a collective choking from the four tables within earshot. Elliot nonchalantly sipped his coffee. Olivia punched him none too gently on the arm.

"Hey!" he protested, breaking into a grin. "I was just messing."

Curry and Reynolds were laughing, and Elliot nudged Olivia. She settled for shaking her head disapprovingly and fixing herself a cup of coffee.

* * *

The sky was bleak when they pulled into the parking lot at Quantico. By the time they had trekked the half mile to their scheduled activity site, there was a light but steady rain.

"I can tell today is gonna be fun," Elliot muttered, swiping at the water dripping down the bridge of his nose.

Olivia was twisting her hair up into a hair tie. "Yeah, well, it's gonna get worse before it gets better. Not sure if you saw the weather report, but this system over us is huge."

"Maybe the activity will get called on account of rain," Elliot said hopefully.

But one look at Agent Smith, standing atop a tree stump looking unfazed by the weather, told them that a day off from training would be unlikely.

They were right.

"Alright, guys, this weather provides us with the perfect opportunity to work together in adverse situations," he announced with the air of one declaring office-wide raises.

"I'm giddy with anticipation," Curry quipped.

"Alright, first task, to get the blood flowing, is gonna be a three-legged race."

There were bewildered looks all around. Smith appeared not to have noticed. He just started passing around ties to bind their legs together.

Elliot accepted the ties from Smith, then handed them to Olivia to attach. She bent down and moved her leg right next to Elliot, then tugged his a little closer to hers. He teetered a little, then steadied himself with his hands on her back. She, in turn, was throw off balance, and grabbed onto his leg.

"You two are off to a good start," Smith muttered sarcastically as he passed them.

Olivia made an irritated noise in the back of her throat and straightened. Elliot looked at her with an amused look on his face.

"Did you just growl at him?"

She attempted an intimidating look in Elliot's direction, but his expression just made her laugh. She leaned into him as he draped his arm around her shoulders. She snaked her own arm around his waist and they walked together to the starting line marked by cones.

"Ready?" Smith called. "Go!"

A few partners tripped at the first step, not having coordinated the starting foot. Olivia and Elliot had decided to start with their unconnected feet. They got off to a good start, and despite a few awkward stumbles due to their uneven strides, they ended up crossing the finish line third.

"Okay," Smith said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them excitedly, "next thing we're gonna try is the balancing ropes."

He led them over to where three thick poles were set up, with two thick cables tied in a vee between them.

"You're both gonna start at this end," Smith instructed, pointing to the narrow part. "Then you're gonna use each other's body weight to walk along your respective cables as far as you can."

He pointed to the nearest pair and said, "Alright, you two first."

Everyone else watched as they struggled along the ropes. Their palms gripped each other as each pushed against the other in an attempt to maintain balance. They made it halfway before one of them slipped.

"Alright, now let's learn from others' mistakes. See how they were bowing at the waist? Try and keep your backs straight. Okay, next pair."

Four more pairs went, and they all struggled as the rain continued to pour down, making the cables—and everything else—soaked.

Next, it was Olivia and Elliot's turn. Smith watched them unblinkingly. They pulled each other up onto the cables, then pressed their palms together and locked their fingers.

They slid along the cables, moving further and further apart, but keeping each other balanced. They passed the furthest point anyone else had gone, but they started shaking too much on their cables. The two of them reached a point directly over a growing mud puddle.

"Oh, this is gonna end badly," Liv muttered.

"Yeah," Elliot agreed.

Nevertheless, they continued moving. But Elliot finally lost his footing right as they were passing over the deepest part of the mud puddle. If they had slipped when they were nearer the beginning, they could have caught themselves. Unfortunately, they were stretched too far out.

The two of them landed in a tangle of limbs with a splash. Elliot landed on his back, and Olivia ended up sprawled across his chest.

They were dripping and filthy and laughing hysterically.

"Stabler! Benson! Quit fooling around and move out of the way for the next partners!"

Well, they enjoyed it while it lasted.

_**To be continued…**_

Please review! Next chapter will be posted within a few hours.


	5. Raising the Bar

**_Author's note:_** As promised, the next part.

**_Disclaimer:_** And as previously stated, they're not mine.

* * *

"Hey, Liv, you wanna hurry up in there? This mud is gonna cement my clothes to my body, and I'll need a crowbar to get 'em off."

"Alright, already," she called out from the shower.

Elliot stood right outside the bathroom door when he heard Olivia turn off the faucet. A moment later, the door swung open and he was greeted by the sight of his partner, dripping wet and wrapped only in a towel.

Elliot's eyebrows shot up as he glanced down at her long legs.

"See anything interesting?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah. _Very_ interesting," he replied, chewing his lower lip and winking at her.

She reached out and pinched his side before moving towards the ringing of their room phone.

He rubbed the spot and grinned, walking into the bathroom and closing the door.

He quickly showered, then stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist. He opened the bathroom door and peered around the room. He saw Olivia standing in front of the closet, looking through the garments hanging there.

"Nice bra," he said nonchalantly, walking to the dresser and pulling out his pajamas. "No looking."

Her shoulders slumped and she rolled her eyes. "I can't find my blue button-down shirt," she said. "And no pj's. We're going out," she added, turning her head towards him.

"Hey!" Elliot exclaimed, pulling his towel tightly around his middle. "What part of 'No looking' didn't you get?"

"Chill, princess. If you're that shy, go change in the bathroom."

He threw his wet towel at her.

"So where are we going?" he asked, moving back toward the dresser.

"Out," she replied, chancing a glance in his direction. He was wearing boxer shorts.

"Yeah, I got that part," he said sarcastically. "Where? And with who?"

"It's whom. Curry and Reynolds. And we're going to a local bar."

Elliot nodded, pulling a shirt out of the dresser drawer and tossing it to Olivia.

"You didn't bring your blue one," he said. "This one looks fine."

She held up the grey fitted tee with "New York" emblazoned across the chest, then pulled it over her head.

* * *

Ten minutes later they were knocking on Reynolds and Curry's door. Curry opened it.

"Lookin' good, detectives," he said, looking at Olivia's shirt.

Elliot mouthed 'Told you' to Olivia before saying, "You guys ready to go?"

"Absolutely," Reynolds said, pushing past Curry out the door. "Let's go."

The bar was a five-minute walk from the hotel. It had a welcoming atmosphere, and not too many people. The four of them made their way to a booth, and a waitress soon came and took their orders.

"Okay, so give us the 411 on Smith," Elliot said.

"Well," Reynolds began, "he's an ex-Marine, so that accounts for some of his behavior."

Olivia nudged Elliot and smirked into her beer.

"Uh-huh…" Elliot answered, peering at her out of the corner of his eye. "And what accounts for the rest?"

"Bad childhood, maybe?" Curry said, shrugging. "I dunno. Nobody knows much about him. He's not married."

"Gee, that's a shocker," Liv said.

They talked a little more about Smith, but soon ran out of things to say.

So they decided to learn a little more about each other.

* * *

"Okay, okay, I've got one!" Curry announced. "Never have I ever fantasized about a coworker."

Olivia and Elliot each took a huge gulp of their beers. Curry and Reynolds, who hadn't taken a sip, both stared inquiringly at the pair.

They glanced at each other, and Elliot said, "Revealing isn't in the rules unless it's one person."

The two FBI agents looked knowingly at each other.

"Okay, my turn," Olivia quickly said. "Never have I ever fantasized about _killing_ a coworker."

All four of them drained their glasses.

* * *

"That's game," Elliot gloated. "Rack 'em up, we'll play again."

"I'm gonna get more drinks," Olivia said, handing her pool cue to her partner and walking to the bar.

As she stood waiting for their drink order, a man sidled up to her. "Hi," he said.

Olivia glanced at him and said, "Hi," then turned back to the bar.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"What's yours?"

"Stephen."

She paused, then answered, "Olivia."

She continued to gaze at the mirror on the wall. If she moved a little to the left, she could just see her partner bending over to take a shot.

"So…my girlfriend calls me Stevie Wonder," he persisted. When she didn't reply, he said, "Do you wanna know why?"

She finally turned to him, said, "Because she constantly wonders why she's dating you?" and turned back to the bar and grabbed the drinks that the barkeep had just placed there.

"Who's your friend?" Elliot asked when she got back to the pool table.

"Stevie Wonder. Are we stripes or solids?"

* * *

Two rounds of drinks later, the pool game had been completely forgotten. They were all just hanging around the table laughing and talking about nothing.

As Elliot had turned to make a remark to Curry and Reynolds, a man walked up beside Olivia and whispered something next to her ear. She ignored him and took a sip of her drink. He was not easy to get rid of.

Finally, she tugged Elliot's arm. He turned towards her, and she pulled his head down and kissed him. His left hand went up to caress her cheek as his right arm snaked around her waist.

Curry and Reynolds fell speechless, and the guy hitting on Olivia disappeared quickly. Olivia broke the kiss and turned back to the bar.

Elliot paused before also turning back to the bar and taking a swig of his drink, acting as though things like that happen all the time.

Curry finally recovered from his shock and said, "So, Stabler, wanna switch seats?"

**_To be continued…_**

I love reviews! They make me warm and fuzzy inside!


	6. Obstinate Course

**_Author's note:_** I actually have nothing to say. I just feel I should have an author's note.

**_Disclaimer:_** Still just having fun with them.

* * *

The next morning, the two detectives and two agents sat around the breakfast table nursing cups of coffee. Elliot had his head propped up on his hand, and Olivia leaned her head on her partner's shoulder, looking as though she might fall back to sleep.

The only thing good that could be said for Curry and Reynolds was that they were too passed out drunk the night before to be bothered by the noise of their A/C.

"Maybe we shoulda waited till after graduation to get sloshed," Curry mumbled.

Reynolds just giggled.

"Good morning, gents!" Smith called out to the room at large. The four of them groaned against the noise. "We're meeting in half an hour at the Quantico obstacle course. Don't be late!"

He turned and left the room, and a few groups got up from their tables and followed.

"Well," Elliot said, shrugging the shoulder that Olivia had started to snooze on. "We'd better get going."

They all stood up woozily, and Elliot draped an arm over Olivia's shoulders as she grabbed onto his waist for dear life.

"I'm never drinking again!" she whined.

"That's what you said last time we got wasted," Elliot chortled.

"On the plus side," Reynolds called out, "at least none of us ended up naked."

The rest of them were silent, and after a moment, Reynolds added uncertainly, "Uh…right?"

Elliot glanced back over his shoulder at the two agents and said, "Right." Then they all piled in Elliot's car for the drive to their day's activities.

* * *

"Alright, people," Smith called out to the congregated group, "today is gonna be the obstacle course."

"Haven't we already been doing that?" Elliot murmured.

Olivia snorted,and Smith locked his gaze on her. She was lucky, however, as he chose not to call her out this time.

He continued, "The course has been clearly marked, but _some of you_," here he looked pointedly towards Olivia, "may still need assistance. If this is the case, just call out to any of the training agents along the way, and they'll help."

"Now, there's one difference between this and other obstacle courses you may have run. This time, you'll be tethered to your partner." He picked up a rope with a carabiner clip on each end. "You have precisely four feet of rope connecting you to your partner. So one of you can't get too far ahead of the other. It's a team effort."

He looked around and his gaze zeroed in on Olivia and Elliot. "Stabler and Benson are gonna be the first pair out, and will give the rest of you a run-through of what you'll have to do." He held up their rope and beckoned them forward.

"Put these on first," he said, passing each of them a rope belt. After they had fastened them around their waists, he unceremoniously clipped the rope in place, restricting them to within four feet of each other.

"Starting point is the wall," he sneered, pointing to a fifteen-foot high construction of planks.

"Go."

They got off to a stumbling start as Elliot's reaction was a second faster than Olivia's. He jerked her and she lost her footing momentarily, but was able to keep her ground with a hand grasping his waistband.

He half turned and grabbed her hand, pulling her along. By the time they got to the wall, they were matched in pace. Olivia had no problem with skilled climbing, and Elliot—having been a Marine—also knew how to handle himself. They overcame the first obstacle with ease.

They reached a platform at the top of the wall, across which stretched two cables, with a net stretched out below. They grabbed one onto each and hooked their feet, flipping over so that they were dangling, pulling themselves along hand over fist to reach the platform on the other side. Two obstacles down.

Theyran down some stepsand reached another space between platforms, this time connected by two sets of monkey bars. Olivia took them two at a time, but Elliot's reach was a little wider. He pulled too far ahead, and with one particularly wild jerk forward, Olivia lost her grip and fellalmost tenfeet to the ground, pulling Elliot down with her. She landed hard and turned her ankle.

"Get back up and do it again!" Smith yelled, ignoring the pained look on Olivia's face. They both staggered back to the last platform and climbed the ladder to attempt the monkey bars again. This time, Elliot was mindful of how far he swung, even holding back so that his partner could lead. Third task, take two, was now complete.

Liv tried not to limp as they moved to the end of the platform. Two handlebars hung at the top of twin zip lines, leading down to the ground. Simultaneously, they grasped the handlebars and rode them down. Olivia gasped as she landed on her bad ankle, but she let Elliot pull her forward. They had gotten through the fourth task.

They ran to where ropes were strung low across the ground, and they dropped down and pulled themselves along on their stomachs. The area where they crawled was muddy from the previous day's rain, but all they could think about was getting to the end. They cleared the ropes and pulled each other up. The fifth task passed without incident.

The next task was a tire run. Olivia stumbled halfway through, and Elliot pulled her up. It was then that he noticed the pain etched on her face.

"Liv?"

"Don't," she commanded through gritted teeth. Then she pushed forward. Obstacle six, done.

Twenty paces ahead, they came to twin balance beams spanning a mud pit. They started across, but Liv started to teeter. Elliot reached out a steadying arm, and they were saved from another mud bath. Seven down, two to go.

The second-to-last obstacle was another wall, but instead of an inclined set of planks, it was a vertical wall with two climbing ropes. This time Olivia stopped in front of it, not sure if her leg would hold out.

"Liv, let's just call it quits. Nobody will think any less of you," Elliot said softly.

"We'd all like to get through this _today_, you two!" Smith called out.

She looked at him, then at Elliot. He glanced quickly at Smith before amending, "Nobody who _matters_ will think any less of you."

"It's just two more," she said, taking a deep breath and grasping the rope. She started pulling herself up, and Elliot followed suit with the other rope. She lost her footing a few times, but she managed to reach the top. They flipped over the crest, and Elliot landed lightly on his feet, then reached out to catch Olivia. One more task to go.

It was only a dozen yards ahead that lay another mud pit, over which they were to swing on two ropes. Liv put on all the speed she could to get enough momentum to span the pit. She and Elliot were even with each other, and they both jumped at the ropes and made it across.

He landed in a semi-crouch, while she just sort of rolled, her tether with Elliot being the only thing actually stopping her from going far.

There were cheers from the other agents and detectives as they finished, but Olivia and Elliot didn't seem to notice. Elliot had moved to his partner's side, unclipping the rope connecting them and helping her remove the belt before removing his own.

He stood up and offered her a hand. She accepted it, but when he moved to support her walking, she gently pushed him away, giving him a warning glance.

Smith was watching.

_**To be continued…**_

Well, that one turned out differently than I'd expected, but it works. Let me know if you feel the same way.


	7. Doctor Stabler

**_Author's note:_** Thanks to you guys, I've topped 100 reviews! The audience _loves_ me! And _I_ love _them_. And they _loooove _me for lovin' them, and I _looove them_ for _lovin'_ me. And we _loooove eeaach other._ And that's 'cause none of us got enough love in our childhoods. And that's showbiz…kid.

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own any of these characters, nor do I own any rights to most of my author's note. I'm a crazy person at two in the morning.

* * *

"Liv, I really think you should see a doctor about it."

"No, I'm fine, Elliot! I just need to ice it once we get back to the hotel."

Elliot gripped the steering wheel in frustration, then forced out a short, "Fine," before letting the subject drop.

Reynolds and Curry, for their part, said nothing as they sat in the back seat watching the exchange.

They pulled into the hotel parking lot, and Elliot cut the engine and got out of the car, moving around to the passenger side and opening Olivia's door, offering a hand. She took it without a fuss and allowed him to pull her arm around his shoulders and drape his arm around her waist.

She limped along, supported mostly by Elliot, and when they got into their room, she flopped onto the bed, heedless of the caked-on mud covering her clothes.

Elliot stared at her for a moment, then went into the bathroom and turned on the faucet on the bathtub. He came back out while the water was running and knelt down to carefully remove her shoes and socks. The only indication she gave that she was aware of what he was doing was a short gasp at the pain when he pulled off the shoe on her bad foot.

"Sorry," he mumbled, gently cradling the affected foot as he pulled off the sock. When her feet were bare, he got up to check on the bath. He turned off the faucet and came back to help Olivia up.

He tugged her arm, but she wouldn't budge.

"C'mon, Liv, the bath is nice and warm," he said.

"I don't wanna get up," she said sleepily.

"There are bubbles," he answered coaxingly.

She just turned over. Elliot rolled his eyes, bent down, and picked her up. She didn't make any objections to him carrying her into the bathroom. He put her down gently, allowing her to hold onto him while she balanced on one foot.

Once she felt steady enough, he stepped back and moved over to the sink.

"Okay, I'm gonna go pick something up for that ankle, and grab us some dinner. If you need anything, I'll have my cell," he said, grabbing a washcloth and lathering it up with soap to get at the mud on his face, arms, and neck.

He glanced over when she didn't reply, and saw that she had taken her shirt off, and was now standing there in jeans and a sports bra.

"Liv? Did you get that?" he prompted.

"Yeah, yeah, call if I need anything," she rattled off, her hands moving down to the fly of her jeans.

"And stay off that foot," he lectured, turning away as she unzipped.

"Yes, Doctor Stabler," she answered sarcastically, hesitating as she was getting ready to pull down the waistband of her jeans. "Can you help me with this?" she asked.

He glanced over the top of the washcloth and said, "Huh?"

"Just come over here," she said impatiently.

He stepped closer and she put her hand on his shoulder for balance. He held her arm and tried to look away as her jeans slid to the floor and she gingerly stepped out of them.

"Thanks," she said as she dropped her hand from his shoulder. He turned and walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He realized that he hadn't finished wiping off the mud, but then decided that he would just use the restroom in the hotel lobby as he quickly changed into clean clothes.

An hour later, Elliot opened the door to their room and set down the bags he was carrying on the table. Liv was in pajamas, lying on her bed, snoozing quietly.

Elliot took the opportunity to jump in and out of the shower and put on his own pajamas. By the time he got back out of the bathroom, Liv was sitting at the table eating.

"What did I tell you about staying off that leg?" he scolded.

"I hopped over here," she answered without looking up.

Elliot heaved a sigh and grabbed the plastic grocery bag lying next to the paper take-out bag. He pulled out an ice pack and an Ace bandage. "I'll be right back," he said, picking up the ice bucket and walking out the door. She waved her fork in indication that she'd heard.

He came back in a few minutes later with the bucket brimming with ice. He sat down at the table and proceeded to fill the ice bag up. When he was done, he screwed the cap on and leaned over and picked up Olivia's leg. She winced at the contact, and he gently lay her foot in his lap, placing the ice pack on her swollen ankle.

They ate in silence, each too tired to carry on a conversation, but neither regretful about it. When they had eaten their fill, Elliot pulled the ice pack from Liv's ankle and put her foot gently back on the floor. He then told her to hold on as he dragged her chair to the edge of her bed.

She crawled onto the bed and he returned the chair to its place at the table before moving to her bed and sitting next to where her foot was.

"The swelling has gone down," he said optimistically. "How does it feel?"

"Better," she answered. "Thanks."

He carefully wrapped her ankle with the Ace bandage, then grabbed an extra pillow and propped it up.

Olivia was leaning against the headboard, and that's where Elliot joined her. They sat side-by-side and turned on the TV. They settled on a channel showing _Pirates of the Caribbean_.

When it became too much of a struggle to keep her head up, she leaned it on Elliot's shoulder. He responded by picking up his arm and bringing it around behind her.

After about a minute, he said, "Wanna go get a drink?"

She just chuckled.

**_To be continued…_**

Please review…and all that jazz.


	8. Improving Teamwork

**_Author's note:_** I know this one is short, but I hope to have the next one posted later tonight.

**_Disclaimer:_** Blah, blah, blah...

* * *

The next morning, Elliot woke to a weight on his chest. Without opening his eyes, he leaned his head down and kissed the top of Olivia's head. She stirred and opened her eyes slowly.

Her hand had made itself comfortable resting on Elliot's ribcage. She leisurely drew her fingers along his bare skin, pulling her hand out from under his shirt. Olivia rolled over and pushed herself off the bed, walking to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

"Scho whaghtschu shink dugay'sh tashgk izh?"

Elliot poked his head into the bathroom, eyebrow raised. He caught Olivia's eye in the mirror, and she pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth, spit, then repeated her question.

"I _said_, 'So what do you think today's task is?'"

Elliot grinned and answered, "Oh, no doubt something horrible. Maybe he'll have you mend his shirt, or wash the dishes, or some other thing that a woman is supposed to do."

She shot him a sarcastic smile, but its effect was somewhat lessened by the toothbrush once again hanging out the side of her mouth.

They made their way down to breakfast to join Curry and Reynolds as usual. When they got to the table, the two agents were conversing with some guys at a neighboring table.

"Yeah, it was the only thing on TV. I'd never seen it before," a detective named Franklin said. "The lead actress…what's-her-name?"

"Keira Knightley," Curry provided.

"Yeah, her," Franklin continued. "She can shiver my timbers—"

"Hey," his partner interrupted. "There's a lady in our presence."

"Aw, c'mon guys," Olivia said, "quit picking on Elliot like that. He's no lady."

"Yeah," Elliot agreed. "My table manners aren't nearly refined enough to be lady-like."

They all shared a laugh as the SVU detectives settled in their seats.

"Morning, people," Smith announced. "There will be no scheduled activities during the day today. Instead, we will be meeting tonight at 1900 at the training field. Some of you may want to continue to improve on your teamwork." With that last statement, he turned and left the room.

"So," Olivia said, turning to Elliot, "should we work on our team skills?"

"Please," Reynolds answered, "if you two were any better at working together, you'd be married."

"And even _that_ is a stretch," Curry added.

* * *

In the end, they all decided to return to their rooms and try to come up with something to do. Olivia was sprawled out on her bed, reading a book. Elliot was sitting on the edge flipping through the channels on the TV.

Having gone through the entire lineup four times, he hit the off switch and tossed the remote across the space to his bed, then turned his head and looked at his partner. His eyes traveled from her face—concentrated on the pages of her novel—down to her feet. He picked up the ankle that she had hurt and began to unwrap the bandage.

She glanced over her book and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Nothin'," he answered, pulling off the last of the bandage and tossing it in the same general direction as the remote.

He sat facing her, stretching his legs out on either side of hers. He picked up her foot again and began to gently massage the ankle, rubbing small circles with his fingers.

"How does the ankle feel?" he asked.

"Just a little stiff. I haven't had trouble walking on it, though that may change if we have to do another obstacle course."

"Well, I'm glad it's better right now. Hopefully we won't have to do anything too strenuous tonight."

Liv nodded her head, then paused as she thought about what he had just said. She raised her eyebrows at him and he said, "Get your mind out of the gutter; you know what I meant."

"Do I?" she asked innocently.

He smiled and turned his attention back to her ankle. They lapsed into silence as Olivia went back to reading and Elliot continued massaging her ankle.

After a while, Olivia put her book down and said, "I think I'll go swimming."

She hopped off the bed and went to the dresser to pull out her swimsuit.

A moment later, Elliot said, "I think I'll join you," and got up as well.

Before he could reach the dresser, there was a knock on the door. He moved to answer it.

"Hey, Stabler," Curry said, "a bunch of us are going to play laser tag. You and your partner care to join us?"

Olivia walked up behind Elliot and put a hand on his back. He shifted so that she could see who it was.

"Did I hear that right?" she asked. "We're invited to laser tag?"

The men gathered around the door were staring at the bikini she had dangling from her hand. One of them spoke up, "Only if you wear that."

"Man, shut up!" another said behind him, smacking him on the back of the head.

"Yes," Reynolds said over the noise. "You're both invited."

"We're meeting in the lobby in ten minutes," Curry added, pulling some of the men away.

Elliot shut the door and turned to Olivia, eyeballing the bathing suit she was clutching.

"Well," he said, "better put on something black and sexy. We're going laser tagging!"

_**To be continued…**_

I'm not sure if the next chapter will be posted tonight. We'll see if I can concentrate better than last night.


	9. Shot in the Dark

**_Author's note:_** I apologize for not getting this one up sooner. I'm easily distrac—ooh, shiny thing!

**_Disclaimer:_** Oh, _please_…with my attention span, do you think they'd give me _anything_ important?

* * *

Olivia and Elliot carpooled with Curry and Reynolds to the laser tag facility.

When the last few detectives had arrived, they all went inside.

"Hi, welcome to Laz-R-Blaze," the kid behind the counter said flatly. "How many are playing?"

Franklin was counting heads. "Looks like we got twelve," he said.

"Will you all be paying separately or together?"

"Separately," Curry said.

The kid—whose nametag read "Derek"—rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Alright, line up, then."

When Elliot got up to the desk, he said, "Paying for two."

"Elliot, what are you doing?" Olivia asked, then said to Derek, "He's kidding, he's only paying for himself."

"No, I'm paying for both of us," he told Derek firmly.

"Elliot."

"Olivia."

Derek just sat open-mouthed with a blank stare. He seemed to come out of his trance when Elliot pushed his credit card across the counter. Olivia tried to put cash down, but Elliot caught her wrist.

"Two," he insisted to Derek. Before Olivia could say anything else, he put his hand over her mouth.

Derek rang up two admissions and swiped Elliot's card. Olivia's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Yuck!" Elliot said, pulling his hand away from her mouth. "You licked me!"

She put on a look of innocence.

He wrinkled his nose and wiped his hand on her shirt, then handed her one of the wristbands that Derek had passed to them. He guided her out of the way so that the next agent could purchase his admission.

* * *

"Okay, blue team, are you ready to kick red team's ass?" Curry yelled.

"Yeah!" they all called out.

They lined up at their door, ready to move through it. The red team, standing parallel to them, just a few feet away, stood at their own door.

"Okay, everyone, let's shake hands!" the game coordinator, Sam, called out.

Liv held out her hand to Elliot. He made a show of wiping his nose, then extended his hand. She pulled hers back before he could make contact.

"You're goin down, Stabler!" Olivia announced across the space.

Elliot, who was on the red team, answered, "In your dreams, partner."

"We'll see," was her only reply before the klaxons sounded and the doors opened.

The game had begun.

Through the doors was a maze of dark partitions, splashes of fluorescent paint, and black lights. The teams were separated by partitions, so their paths never crossed, but they were interwoven so that they could be right next to the opposition, with only a black-painted piece of plywood between.

Olivia immediately headed for a set of stairs leading up so that she could try and get a bird's-eye view of the red team and especially to try and spot her partner.

Elliot, meanwhile, had also taken the stairs in his side of the maze. His eyes swept down below for Olivia.

Simultaneously, they each looked up at the towers across the room. Their eyes locked and both of them whipped their guns around and fired, each scoring a direct hit on the other. Their suits buzzed and then powered down for thirty seconds. They each decided to move while the other was out of commission.

The real target was a square at the center of the maze. The goal was to blast the other team's color, rendering all of their equipment useless for five seconds, but making them impervious to a strike for three seconds after that. Every time they got hit from enemy fire, their suits vibrated and went offline for ten seconds. With a direct hit, it was thirty seconds and their weapons became depleted, forcing them to find a reload station before they were able to return fire. Three direct hits took them out for the rest of the game.

Liv managed to avoid most other attacks, though she did get glanced a few times. She hadn't yet spotted her partner again.

Elliot's gun had just repowered after a ten second power down from a glancing shot. His eyes searched every space in his line of vision, trying to catch a glimpse of the slender figure of his partner. She'd be easy to spot if she weren't so damned good at staying hidden.

He came up to a corner, and he got a sudden odd sense of something.

Olivia paused at a turn in the maze, sure that someone was very near.

They turned their respective corners at the same time and came out firing. They caught each other square in the chest, and both of their guns went dead.

"Dammit!"

"Crap!"

They each glanced down at the countdown readout on their weapons. Twenty-seven seconds till reactivation and recharge ability. There was a recharging station just a few feet away for each of them.

They glared at each other threateningly, then moved to the partition, each knowing they were safe from return fire for the time being.

"So how's it going?" Elliot asked conversationally.

"Pretty good," she answered in kind. "You?"

"Oh, you know…same."

"Good."

"Yeah."

They both looked back down at the readout. Thirteen more seconds.

"You're so gonna lose," Elliot said confidently.

"You're kidding yourself, Elliot."

"We'll see."

"I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Do I need to show you where it is?"

"Screw you."

"Screw _you_."

Their weapons whirred back to life, and they each dove for their reload stations. Their weapons were green-lit to go, and they scrambled for a hiding spot.

Olivia knew Elliot was still just a few feet away, waiting for her to pop up. She spotted another red team member and took careful aim before scoring a direct hit.

"Elliot, I know you're still over there," she called out.

"I'll move if you do," he said tauntingly.

"I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of your teammates," she said, taking aim at another red team member, only producing a glancing hit. Elliot, meanwhile, spotted Curry and put him out for thirty seconds.

"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing to you," he answered.

"Quit being a freaking gentleman, Elliot." She started to crawl towards the partition between their mazes.

"Is that what you think I'm doing? Honey, I'm just trying to be a team player." He paused and thought about what he'd said. "Okay, I didn't actually mean to call you 'Honey' just now."

Having determined by the direction of his voice where he was hiding, Olivia stood up and pointed her weapon, but found herself staring down the barrel of Elliot's. They both fired, and the readout on their weapons flashed "Out."

Her shoulders slumped and he let his weapon drop limply to his side.

They sat down and leaned against the partition. There was a window cut into the piece between them, and they chatted through it.

The lights came up three minutes later, signaling the end of the game. The partners stood up on their respective sides, and Curry and Reynolds each came around the corner of their half of the maze.

"Fraternizing with the enemy, I see," Curry said to Olivia.

"Stabler, how you gonna let the blue team's secret weapon distract you?" Reynolds added.

"Yeah, well, we're apparently too well matched. We kicked each other's asses."

They went their separate directions to get out of the maze. When they got back to the equipment room, he said, "It was fun playing against you, partner."

He held out his fist and she bumped it as she responded, "Same here. We should get Fin and Munch in on this. The two of us on the same team could beat them down."

Elliot laughed and winked as he pulled his suit over his head and hung it on the designated rack.

Ten minutes later, they were all piled into cars and on their way back to the hotel for some relaxation before tonight's activity.

Whatever it may be.

_**  
To be continued…**_

What could it be? You'll find out next chapter, silly! So just review and wait for it.


	10. Painted Target

**_Author's note:_** Sorry about the delay. I planned on posting last night, but it was SciFi Friday. I'm sure you understand.

**_Disclaimer:_** The only thing I own is the boxed sets. And not the rights to them, just the sets. I had to pay for them.

* * *

"So, I've been talking with some of the guys, and rumor has it that it's paintball tonight," Reynolds informed the gathered group conspiratorially.

"Paintball at _night_?" Elliot asked skeptically.

"Smith is one tough son-of-a," Franklin paused, looking at Olivia, "mother. This is exactly the kinda thing he'd do."

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other, appearing to have a silent conversation.

"Guess we shouldn't change, then," Elliot said, indicating the black ¾ sleeved shirt and dark jeans that Olivia was wearing.

One of the other detectives was also looking at her attire and said, "I wasn't gonna suggest it anyway."

Liv merely rolled her eyes at the comment, the likes of which she had long gotten used to. She could tolerate the occasional off-handed comment as long as the person respected her.

After all, she had let Elliot get away with calling her "Honey."

The group disbanded and went to their rooms to relax before their nighttime war game.

* * *

As it turned out, the rumors of paintball were true.

"Here are the ground rules," Smith barked. "A direct hit on the chest or back is a kill. Anywhere else is a superficial wound, but will make you more visible, as we will be using phosphorescent paintballs. Intentional head shots are prohibited." He looked around to make sure everyone was paying attention. "Okay, let's everyone line up and grab a set of goggles, a protective vest, and a gun."

They grabbed the equipment and began putting on the vests. Elliot turned his hat backwards so that he could wear the protective goggles.

"You'll find the paint cartridges over here. Make sure every pair has the same color."

Liv and Elliot went up to the table. "Orange or green?" Elliot asked. She looked him up and down. He looked at her. "What?" he said.

"I'm just trying to picture what color would look good on you," she answered, picking up two orange magazines.

"You think _orange_ would look good on me?" Elliot asked incredulously.

She handed one of the cartridges to him. "No."

He narrowed his eyes and followed her to where the other pairs on the orange team were gathering.

"Alright, the object of the game tonight is kinda like capture the flag. Each team will infiltrate enemy territory—the split indicated by the phosphorescent chalk line—and try to retrieve their colored flag."

Everyone started to move towards their areas.

"Oh, and one more thing," Smith called out. Once he had everyone's eyes, he held up a gun already loaded with a cartridge of glowing blue pellets, "I'll be picking off stragglers."

Olivia let her breath out in a whoosh. Elliot glanced over at her, then whispered, "Don't worry, Liv. I've got your back."

She met his gaze. "It's my front I'm worried about."

She started to walk towards where the orange team was congregating. He watched her for a moment before calling out, "I've got that, too," and following her.

* * *

"Okay, I just did a quick count of people who've been eliminated," Elliot whispered. "There are only four people left on our team, including us."

Olivia, who hadn't looked away from the when he came back to their hiding place, asked, "How many on their team?"

"Three," he answered. He then looked at her and said, "You didn't even look when I came up behind you. What if I'd been an enemy team member?"

"Please, Elliot," she finally glanced up at him, "after eight years, I think I'd recognize your footsteps."

"But I was being quiet."

"_Was_, being the operative word. Now _hush_!" she admonished.

They heard a pop nearby, and Elliot yanked Olivia towards him. She rolled off of him and they lay next to each other, Liv rubbing her arm where she had just been pelted.

"Dammit, it's Smith," Elliot said, noting the blue paint spattered on her black shirt.

"Where is he?" Olivia fumed, angry at herself for not spotting him.

"Ten o'clock," Elliot answered, risking a glance over the rocks they were hiding behind, assessing their position.

"Okay," he said, "I'm gonna run to that outcropping. Cover me."

"Elliot!" she hissed. He was already gone. She aimed her gun where Elliot had spotted Smith, just in case, but nobody opened fire on him. He made it to his destination and gestured for her to join him. He readied his weapon to offer cover fire.

She stayed low to the ground and made it to her partner's side without being shot at again. They caught movement near their team's flag, and saw that a green team member was going for it.

Olivia took careful aim and fired. She managed a kill shot to the back.

"Congratulations, Detective Benson; looks like they're down to two," Elliot said in an undertone.

Suddenly they saw a member of their team make a dash for cover, only to have a sudden splash of green blossom across his chest.

They were getting closer to the enemy's flag. They moved from one large object to the next, finding cover. Occasionally one of them would suffer a graze. Usually, the other would return fire and at least glance their target.

A series of pops and splats directed their attention to a standoff between a green and an orange team member. They eliminated each other.

While this distraction was occurring, the two detectives made a dash for the next large object: a plywood barricade. But Olivia's foot got caught in a tree root and she went down hard about five feet away from safety.

Two guns began firing on their location. Glowing green and blue pellets exploded dangerously close. She felt one nail her leg and she gritted her teeth against the sting. Elliot crouched down and reached his partner, flipping her onto her back and dragging her behind the wall, then returning fire once she was safe.

When he turned back, he expected her to be rubbing her leg where she'd been directly hit by a green pellet. Instead, she was nursing the ankle she hurt the day before. She had gotten that one caught in the tree root.

"Are you okay?" Elliot whispered, putting his hand on the ankle, brushing hers aside so he could feel.

"I'm fine," she answered unconvincingly. Pellets exploded against the outside of the wall they were hiding behind. Elliot whipped his gun around the partition and fired blindly. He yanked his hand back—covered in blue paint—and shook it as it smarted.

"Looks like Smith is no longer nonpartisan," Olivia said, swiping at the blue paint and dabbing it on Elliot's nose.

"Hey!" he quietly exclaimed. He retaliated by rubbing his hand across her cheek, leaving an azure smudge.

They both laughed softly at that, but then quickly sobered when another barrage of paintballs peppered the wall.

Elliot helped Olivia stand up. One of their attackers, meanwhile, had moved nearer to their barricade. He fired, and Elliot pushed Olivia against the wall, hissing as he received a pellet in his side.

Olivia, sandwiched between the wall and her partner, blindly returned fire.

They made a break for it, running full-out. They reached the next cover and paused to catch their breaths while the wall they crouched behind was bombarded.

"The flag is right there," Olivia said, peering out across the open space. "If we both make a dash for it, there's a good chance at least one of us will make it."

"Smith's gonna be aiming for you," Elliot said.

Olivia nodded. "I know."

"So how about I stay on the outside? We'll both go out guns blazing," Elliot said. "But you've got to promise that if I go down, you don't stop. Deal?" He held out his hand.

She grasped it and they shook on it, then broke free of cover, immediately pointing their weapons towards their unseen assailants and opening fire.

They were hailed with capsules on their arms and legs. Movement caught Elliot's eye in the direction away from the onslaught. He saw Smith take careful aim at his partner. Elliot jumped in front of the line of fire, at the same time opening up on Smith and catching him square in the chest. The force of the pellets knocked the wind out of Elliot, but he managed to choke out, "Go!" to his partner. She made it the last few steps to the enemy flag and picked it up, waving it triumphantly.

Then she was caught by a latent shell in the back from the last remaining green team member.

Elliot ran over to her and picked her up victoriously. The rest of the green team rushed to the pair to congratulate them.

Elliot put her down, and she stood on tiptoes to murmer in his ear, "Thanks for saving my life."

He pulled back and offered a wink and an easy, "Any time."

They could just make out Smith walking away sulkily.

_**To be continued…**_

Again, sorry about the delay. Please read and review.


	11. Bruised Nothing

**_Author's note:_** Hooray! That last chapter's reviews set me over my record of 167 for **(shameless self-promotion)** "What Sarah Wants" in the _JAG_ realm (posted under "Lexxi," if anyone's interested) and 166 for "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" in the _Bones_ realm. **(/shameless self-promotion)**

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own _JAG _or _Bones_, either. That's not really related to this story…just thought you ought to know.

* * *

"Oh, I am gonna sleep till noon," Elliot groaned.

He walked around to Olivia's side and helped her out of the car. She leaned against him and wrapped an arm around his waist. He slung an arm over her shoulders and they walked together towards the hotel entrance.

"Sure you two don't wanna go clubbing?" Curry teased.

"You're already dressed for the occasion," Reynolds added, indicating the nearly head-to-toe paint splatter.

"Yeah, how did you guys get orange on you, anyway?" Curry asked.

"Friendly fire," Olivia said. The FBI agents chuckled.

"We'll see you bright and early!" Reynolds called out.

Elliot waved vaguely to indicate he'd heard.

They got to their room, and Elliot shut the door. He turned and looked at his partner, who was eyeing her bed longingly, then glancing down at her paint-covered clothing. She seemed to be contemplating whether sleeping dressed like a Picasso canvas was worth it.

"Liv, take a shower," Elliot urged, leading her by the waist towards the bathroom.

* * *

When Elliot walked out of the bathroom, wearing a towel around his waist, he found his partner wrapped in a robe sitting in a chair with her head on the table.

He walked over to her and shook her gently. "Olivia."

She stirred and looked blearily up at him. "What?"

"You gonna put some pajamas on or are you gonna sleep in that?"

She looked down at her attire and said, "I just put my head down for a second. Guess I fell asleep."

"Guess so," he answered. She stretched a bit and winced.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm just really sore. I'd forgotten how much paintball can hurt."

Elliot moved behind her chair and started rubbing her shoulders. She let her head drop down and he leaned down and softly kissed the back of her neck, where a paint capsule had left a purpling bruise.

"You should see the one on my back," she said.

He pulled the collar of her robe and said, "Do you mind?"

She nodded and said, "Go ahead."

He pulled the neck of her robe back and peered down. He could make out a sickly green circle just between her shoulder blades where the latent shot had hit.

"Ouch," Elliot said sympathetically. "Here," he pulled out her chair, "if you move to the bed I can get lower."

She stood up and said, "Alright, but let me get dressed first."

She went over to the dresser and grabbed her pajamas, then went into the bathroom to put them on. Elliot, meanwhile, quickly pulled on his boxers.

Olivia came out of the bathroom and glanced over at her partner looking for a shirt to put on. She walked over to him and touched a dark spot on his side.

"Um, ow!" he said, flinching at the contact. When he turned to face her, she saw where he had jumped in front of the paint pellets from Smith's gun. She ran her fingers lightly over the three green and purple-tinged marks above and around his sternum, and one lower on his abdomen.

"Bastard got you pretty good, didn't he?" she murmered.

"Actually, he tried to get _you_ pretty good," he corrected.

"I know," she replied, leaning in and placing a grateful kiss on the highest mark on his chest. "And for that, I thank you."

Elliot gave a half smile and a modest shrug. "You'd have done the same for me."

"See?" she said, affectionately patting his sides, "That's what makes us great partners."

Elliot nodded and gestured for her to lie down on the bed. He began to tenderly knead her upper back, between her shoulder blades. He slid his hands under her shirt, and she relaxed at the warmth of his fingertips across her bare skin.

Elliot began to drift off as well. His rhythmic massaging slowed, and he laid down next to her, keeping one hand on her back, rubbing gentle circles.

* * *

Around three in the morning, Elliot woke to Olivia shivering from the cool air coming from the A/C. He reached across her and pulled the blankets over them both.

"Is the other bed not to your liking?" Olivia mumbled.

"Do you want me to move?" Elliot asked, not taking any action of the sort.

She didn't answer, but her hand crept across his bare stomach. His response was to lay his hand on her back again and shifting into a more comfortable position on his side, from which he could smell his partner's just-washed hair. He leaned his head so that his lips almost brushed her forehead, and her hair tickled his cheek.

They both rested soundly for the rest of the night.

**_To be continued…_**

Forgive this chapter seeming a bit out of character. I just couldn't help myself. ;)


	12. End of Their Rope

**_Author's note:_** Is it just me, or are there a lot more updates lately? Oh, well. Guess I'll just have to keep posting if I want to keep it on the first page.

**_Disclaimer:_** Nope, they still aren't mine.

* * *

"So how come you guys are so awake this morning?" Curry asked, tripping over his own feet as the four of them walked towards the Quantico high ropes course.

Elliot caught him and answered, "We just had a good night's sleep."

"I was so sore last night," Reynolds said. "Kept tossing and turning."

"You'd be amazed what a good backrub will do," Olivia stated dismissively before she realized she'd opened her mouth.

"Uh-huh…" Curry said, shooting a knowing glance at Reynolds.

"Calm down, boys, it's not like that," Elliot cut in, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Reynolds declared innocently.

Elliot opened his mouth to object, but Olivia slipped her hand up the back of his shirt and said, "El, honey, just let it go."

Elliot caught on. "No problem, baby," he answered, sliding his hand into her back pocket.

"Oh, now they're just teasing us!" Curry said, laughing. "Alright, alright, we get it."

The detectives broke apart, having made their point.

* * *

"Remind me why we're tethered together again. Once in a week was one time too many," Curry complained.

"I agree," Reynolds said. "Hey Stabler, wanna trade?"

Elliot looked up from trying to fasten his harness. "Sorry, Reynolds," he answered. "She's the only one who can keep me in check."

As if to prove it, she tugged on his buckle, pulling him closer so that she could adjust it correctly for him.

"Are you sure that goes there?" he asked, grasping the clip and getting in the way of her work. He craned his neck in order to get a better view, and they bumped heads.

"Whoa!" Elliot said, rubbing the spot. "Noggin!"

Olivia rubbed her own head where it had made contact, and looked at her partner strangely.

"_Finding Nemo_," he stated in explanation.

She shook her head and turned her attention back to the buckle. He started to reach for it again and she slapped his hands away. "Let me do it," she admonished.

Some of the agents and detectives nearby looked on curiously at the awkward position the pair were in. Olivia, for her part, had taken no heed of the looks they were getting. Elliot merely tried not to notice.

"Alright, people, the rules today are simple," Smith announced in his trademark bellow. "You and your partner are gonna have to work together to climb to the top of the tower."

Everyone looked up. The topmost platform was four stories high.

"You've got two ropes with carabiner clips on the end. Those are for safety. You must always have both of them attached while you are crossing a void, and at least one of them attached at all times when you're transferring to another safety line."

He continued, "Tell your partner when you're unclipping a carabiner. We don't want any mistakes out there. These helmets you're wearing will not protect you from a thirty-foot drop."

"That's comforting," Elliot murmured.

"Yeah," Olivia mumbled back, craning her neck to peer up again. She let out a nervous sigh.

Elliot rubbed her back reassuringly, trying to hide his own apprehension.

* * *

"Elliot, I've decided that the 'ladies first' rule does not apply to the high ropes course," Olivia said, clinging to the vertical net tunnel.

He looked up to reply, but forgot what he was going to say. His trepidation at climbing the high ropes wasn't the only reason he suggested she go first. He had a great view from where he was.

"Elliot, quit staring at my ass."

"I'm just makin' sure your footing is sound. Don't want you falling," he answered cheekily.

"Keep talking, Spidey. If I fall, you're the first in line on the way down."

Elliot refrained from further comment until they were both safely on the level platform.

* * *

"Elliot, just unclip from there and transfer in front of my clip," Olivia instructed.

"Well, you're gonna have to stand on the outside of the platform."

"Fine, put your back against the pole, then."

The two danced awkwardly around each other to switch places. Elliot moved to the pole in the middle of the platform. Olivia shifted tensely to the edge. She peered over and immediately regretted it. She reached blindly for her partner, finding his harness.

He likewise grabbed onto her harness to keep her steady. "Liv, isn't it the first rule of climbing to not look down?"

Without opening her eyes, she said, "No, the first rule is to have all the necessary equipment. Not looking down is the third or fourth rule."

He smiled at her brave attempt at humor and patted her side before reaching up and unhooking one of his clips and transferring it to the next cable.

"Elliot, I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to be clinging to your harness while you cross the balance beam," Olivia said.

"That's easy for you to say," he answered. "You've got better balance than I do."

Her arms were spread gracefully out from her body.

* * *

"Just, whatever you do, don't jump too far," Olivia warned. "Our connection is only long enough to allow a certain distance."

"Liv, you're making me nervous."

"I'm sorry, I just…I don't want to be yanked off the platform." Her hands gripped Elliot's waist as she peered across the void between two hanging platforms. They were about three stories up, and the space they had to jump was six feet across.

"Our connection tether is supposed to stretch out," Elliot said reassuringly.

She backed up to give him room for the jump. He made it, and their tether stretched to allow it, only causing a slight tug between the two.

He turned cautiously and then called out, "Okay, Liv, your turn."

The six feet seemed to stretch sixty. She looked down again before realizing.

"Olivia, eyes on me!" Elliot called out to his partner. She took a few deep breaths to psych herself up, but all it did was psych herself _out_.

"C'mon, Liv. I promise I'll catch you," Elliot said earnestly. He could see Smith watching them. "_Trust me_, Olivia!" he urged.

She nodded, drew in one big breath, held it…

…and leapt.

The ball of her foot just barely made contact with the platform, and Elliot flung his arms around her to pull her on the platform all the way.

"See? That wasn't so bad," he said, patting her on the back.

"Yeah, but if you hadn't been there to catch me, I'd have fallen."

"But I _was_ there," he said. "I'll _always_ be there."

She met his eyes and said solemnly, "Elliot…."

"Yeah?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but cut out the sentimental crap."

He laughed and said, "Oh, thank God. The pep talk I had planned would've given us cavities."

She shook her head in amusement. "Just stick to the bad cop routine, Stabler."

* * *

"Well, that worked well," Olivia sneered.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know it would shake that much?" Elliot answered defensively.

The two were currently dangling by their safety lines, a tangle of arms, legs, and tethers. Olivia's arms were tightly wrapped around Elliot's neck, and her legs were clamped around his waist. He had lost his footing crossing a plank bridge, pulling them both off.

He ran his fingers over her jawbone, where it had made contact with a renegade plank. "Seriously, Liv, are you okay?" he asked with concern, swiping at the blood dripping from the cut.

"I'll be fine when we get back to the ground," she said irritably. He rubbed his hands up and down her back while they waited for assistance.

* * *

"Tell me again why we're free-falling instead of climbing back down," Olivia said apprehensively.

"It's faster," Elliot stated.

"Gee, ya think?" she said sarcastically.

"I'm going first. I'll be there when you reach the ground," he said reassuringly.

Elliot was hooked up to the harness, and once the ground was clear, he pushed himself off the edge of the four-story high platform and swung like a pendulum.

He reached the ground and gave his partner a thumbs-up.

When it was time, she closed her eyes and let gravity do its job.

_**To be continued…**_

I didn't mean this to seem like a cliffhanger, but I really wanted to get it posted before I went to work. Read and review. In consideration of the ending, rants are welcome.


	13. Rub A Dub Dub

**_Author's note:_** How excited am I that I've passed 200 reviews? Go on, ask me how excited I am!

**_Disclaimer:_** Alas, I cannot cash in reviews for dollars, so I'm not actually making money off of this.

* * *

"I don't think my body can take much more of this abuse," Olivia groaned as Elliot cleaned and bandaged the cut on her chin.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and quipped, "Oh, I think your body can take more than you give it credit for."

She laughed and shoved him away playfully.

He placed the last butterfly stitch on the cut, then leaned in and kissed it. "There. All better?"

"Yes. Thank you," she answered sweetly. She hopped down off the table and Elliot casually slung an arm across her shoulders as they walked towards the car to head back to the hotel.

"So I noticed the hotel has a jacuzzi," Elliot said offhandedly.

"I noticed that, too," she answered just as nonchalantly, snaking her arm around his waist.

They got back to the hotel and went right to their room to change. Olivia came out of the bathroom wearing shorts and a tank top over her swimsuit.

Elliot, who was wearing a tank top with his swim trunks, ushered her out the door.

There were only a few people in the pool, none of them with the conference group. Elliot grabbed two towels from the stack by the door and set them on two chairs. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the chair with the towel.

Olivia tutted and picked up the shirt and folded it, then placed it neatly next to the towel. Elliot shook his head and tugged her shirt. "You gonna wear all that swimming?"

She shot him a "don't press your luck" look before lifting her shirt over her head. Elliot couldn't help but admire how her lithe torso stretched. She folded her shirt just as she had Elliot's, and placed it on the other chair. She then unbuttoned her shorts and let them drop to the ground.

Other men in the pool area watched intently as she stripped down to her aqua bikini.

"Pool or jacuzzi first?" Elliot asked.

"Pool," she answered after a moment of consideration.

They did laps together, content to just swim in each other's company in silence.

After a while, Olivia sat in the shallows and leaned against the side, her arms spread along the ledge. Elliot watched as her eyes drifted closed, and her body relaxed. He crept closer and reached his hand towards her under the water. His hand paused just over her skin, then he prodded the ticklish spot on her side.

Olivia jumped at the contact and took a few seconds to come to her senses. Her gaze zeroed in on Elliot, hovering sheepishly a few feet away. She lunged at him, pushing him under the water.

He quickly regained his bearing and flipped her beneath the surface, letting her up after she found his own ticklish spot on his rib cage. She jabbed again, but this time he caught her wrists.

She playfully resisted, wriggling close to him, forcing his back into the corner of the pool. Having caught on to her game, he held one of her wrists in each of his hands and brought them around his back, pulling her towards him.

They were both sore from the ropes course, out of breath from the underwater struggle, and laughing like children from the novelty of being two grown adults in a pool fight. Their faces were inches from each other, and they were grinning like they were ready for more mischief.

"So…" Elliot said, in a deep rumble from the back of his throat.

Olivia secretly loved that tone. "So…" she answered, raising an eyebrow and biting her bottom lip.

Elliot's mouth revealed a wider grin before drawing back in, the tip of his tongue just barely brushing his front teeth, making him look like a naughty kid feeling gleeful about getting caught. He let their "So"s linger a moment before continuing, "You ready for the hot tub?"

"Always," was her reply.

He climbed out of the pool and walked over to the unoccupied hot tub. His partner was a few steps behind. He tested the water with a toe, then eased himself into the tub. He hit the button for the jets as Olivia slid into the steaming water.

He beckoned her towards him and she complied. He turned her around so that she was on a built-in ledge, set lower than the one Elliot was perched on. Her shoulders were just beneath the surface of the water. He began to work on her muscles, the warm water helping to loosen the knots.

She started drifting off again, but one particularly stubborn kink presented itself beneath Elliot's touch, and she became aware of something.

"El, I think it's your turn to get a shoulder rub."

He stopped his ministrations for a minute and leaned his head down to look at her. "I'm fine," he said.

She turned her head to meet his gaze. "No, you get down here right now," she told him firmly.

He hid a teasing smile at her motherly tone and obliged her order. Who's gonna argue over getting a backrub?

Once he settled, she started digging out the tight spots in his shoulders. He didn't realize it had been so long since he'd had a decent massage. He leaned his head back to tell her as much.

"Olivia, if you ever decide to give up the badge, you will be immediately hired as my personal masseuse."

She indulged him with a smile, then nudged his head forward again so she could rub circles along his neck. He had begun to nod off when Olivia said, "Elliot, can you move over here so I can get a little lower?"

He shifted automatically, following her direction. He was now leaning against the side of the jacuzzi, his arms propped up on the edge, with his partner behind him working miracles on his lower laterals.

She found a stubborn cluster, and Elliot bit down on his arm, not sure if it was from pain or pleasure, and not really caring at the moment.

"Jeez, Elliot, what are you doing to yourself?" she mumbled sympathetically.

"Apparently not hanging out with you nearly enough," he groaned.

She leaned forward and said, "I get that a lot," then propped her chin on Elliot's bicep, batting her eyelashes playfully at his sideways glance. He let out a short burst of laughter and leaned towards her, placing a kiss on the end of her nose.

She chuckled softly, wrinkling her nose reflexively, then laid her head on his shoulder, her fingers continuing their ministrations.

The jets had long since stopped running.

_**To be continued…**_

Okay, I'd like some directed feedback this time. I habitually end my chapters with short sentences such as the one above. Does it work for most of you, or is it merely annoying? I only ask this because it was the first thing to pop into my head as an endnote. Just be thankful I didn't ask the second thing. It had to do with penguins. And tap shoes.


	14. Wet Dreams

**_Author's note:_** Yes, I have seen the trailer for "Happy Feet" one too many times. And I also just watched "Mary Poppins." Now you know what the penguins and tap shoes were all about.

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own these characters. And Jamie gave me the main idea for this chapter.

* * *

"Elliot?" 

He opened one eye, glancing at the clock. The piercing red light displayed 2:18. He shut his eyes and rolled over.

"Elliot!" his partner hissed, shaking him.

"Wha?"

"Elliot, my bed is soaked."

He squinted up at her, still trying to wake up. After a moment, he mumbled, "Did you just say your bed is soaked?"

She rolled her eyes and answered, "Yes."

He smirked and started, "Olivia—"

"There's a leak coming from above us."

He swallowed his smartass remark. "Oh."

She looked at him expectantly. He continued to stare blankly.

"Well?" she said.

He looked around the room, then back at her. "Well…what?"

"You're coming with me to the front desk," she stated matter-of-factly.

His shoulders slumped. He nodded and pushed himself off the bed. He noticed for the first time that Olivia was already dressed, hair and teeth brushed, and shoes tied.

She crossed her arms and tapped her fingers impatiently.

"Alright, alright, I'm moving!"

* * *

They reached the end of the hallway and heard a commotion at the front desk. 

"No, I don't want to hear excuses or apologies! I just want you to fix it!"

"Dammit," Olivia whispered, grabbing Elliot's arm and pulling him back around the corner.

Elliot leaned his head exhaustedly against the wall. "Olivia, Smith's too busy yelling at the desk clerk to pay attention to you."

"Elliot, Smith seems like someone who can multi-task his anger."

"So what, are you just gonna sleep in a wet bed?" he challenged.

She stared him down, appearing to weigh the options.

"Oh, for crying out loud," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the desk.

They almost ran into Smith, who had apparently concluded his business with the desk clerk, and was now walking back towards the stairwell.

The concierge seemed frustrated, but he forced a smile as the two approached. "How can I help you?"

"Yeah, hey," Olivia greeted tiredly. "There's a water leak or something above our room. It's dripping all over my bed."

"You're in room 127," he said with a sigh. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Elliot asked.

"The guy who just reamed me is in 227. The pipe under his sink burst."

"So…what can you do for us?" Olivia solicited hesitantly.

"Unfortunately, I just moved Agent Smith to the only available room we had."

Olivia's head dropped. Elliot rubbed a hand across his stubbled face.

"I'm sorry," the clerk added sincerely.

"Alright, thank you," Elliot said, putting a hand on Olivia's shoulder and guiding her back to their room.

Once they were back in their room, Elliot grabbed Olivia's pillows and tossed them on his bed while she changed into her pajamas in the bathroom.

He stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt, then flopped onto the bed. Olivia came out of the bathroom and made her way to Elliot's bed, turning off the lights on the way. She laid down on the unoccupied half of the bed and turned to glance at her partner. His back was to her and he appeared to already be asleep.

She turned over and settled comfortably. When she had stopped moving, Elliot pulled the blankets over her, then settled back on his side.

"G'night, 'Livia," he murmured.

She smiled. "Goodnight, El."

* * *

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!" 

Olivia peered at Elliot and groaned, "I'll rise, but under no circumstances will I shine."

He sat down heavily on the bed and rubbed her back sympathetically. "C'mon, Liv. Last day of training."

"Yeah, and it's gonna be a bitch. You know Smith will be out for blood."

"Best way to make sure it's not ours is to get moving," Elliot said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, then standing up and whipping the covers off her.

"This is payback for dragging you out to the front desk in the middle of the night, isn't it?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow and grinned impishly, but said nothing.

There was a knock on the door while Olivia brushed her teeth. Elliot answered it.

"Hi, I'm here to check on the leak."

"Oh, right, uh…come on in, then." Elliot pulled the door open all the way and let the man in.

The two finished getting ready, and headed to breakfast, leaving the repairman to his work.

Olivia gripped Elliot's arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm gonna need coffee."

He just nodded his agreement.

_**To be continued…**_

I need coffee, too. And reviews. You know, actually,just the reviews will be okay.


	15. Blind Faith

**_Author's note:_** I realize the last chapter was pretty short. It was a transitional chapter, there to allow me time to gather my thoughts and…yeah, okay, I don't actually have a legitimate excuse. Anyway, this one's longer.

**_Disclaimer:_** Unless someone was to die and leave them to me, Olivia and Elliot don't belong to me. No, seriously…I want in that will.

* * *

"He looks pissed," Curry said out of the side of his mouth. Smith had just stormed past them on the way to the obstacle course.

"Yeah, more so than usual. I wonder why," Reynolds added.

Elliot and Olivia looked knowingly at each other. Reynolds caught the exchange.

"I take it you two have an idea," he said.

"Spill," Curry prompted.

"Funny you should use that particular word," Elliot began.

"Yeah, and he means funny in the sense that it's…not," Olivia said.

Elliot proceeded to relay the events that unfolded very early that morning. He finished just as they reached the day's activity area.

Curry and Reynolds were howling with laughter. Their mirth died immediately at one look from Smith.

"Listen up," he barked. "We're gonna be doing the obstacle course today. Only this time, you're going individually, and your partner's gonna guide you."

"Guide us?" Olivia murmured.

Smith's hearing seemed to be slightly more sensitive than a bat's. His gaze snapped to Olivia and said, "Yes, Detective Benson, guide you. You will be blindfolded." He held up a thick black cloth. "And you two can go first."

She looked at her partner, biting her lip nervously. He gave her arm a squeeze and winked reassuringly.

* * *

"Alright, Olivia, there's a peg about a foot and a half to your left leg's ten o'clock," Elliot instructed. She found the foothold easily and pushed herself up further on the wall. He talked her through the last few pegs, and she made it to the top of the platform.

The agents watching applauded.

"Okay, three steps forward, then reach out to about chest level and you'll feel the rope you have to cross," Elliot instructed over the din.

She followed his instructions to the letter, and found the rope. She swung herself carefully from it, legs hooked over it and hands pulling.

The others continued their encouragement.

Smith interrupted. "We're gonna make this a little more difficult," he said while Olivia continued to pull herself fist over fist to the next platform. "I want each of you shouting out false instructions. Let's see if she can distinguish her partner's directions from everyone else's. We're trying to simulate the confusion of a real-life standoff. You're not always gonna know who to listen to."

There was hesitation amongst the group.

"Go!" Smith yelled. They started shouting.

"Platform's right below you!"

"Just three more feet!"

"Olivia, just keep going till I tell you to drop," Elliot's voice stood out amongst the clamor.

She made it to safety with Elliot's assured instructions. There were training agents on the platforms for safety purposes, but they were hands-off until she needed them.

"Seven paces ahead of you are the monkey bars, Olivia!" someone yelled out.

She started to move forward, but then Elliot's voice distinguished itself. "Liv, five paces forward, then stairs!"

She stopped, then walked slowly forward, counting. She reached the top of the steps and, continuing to follow Elliot's count, made it down the stairs and to the edge of the platform.

"Okay, Liv, the monkey bars are about a foot and a half apart from each other."

"Two feet!"

"A foot apart!"

She pictured a foot and a half, then reached up for the first and second bars, both within reach. She took a deep breath and swung out from the platform. She let go of the first bar and brought her hand forward to grasp the second. Both her hands were on the second bar, and she moved forward slowly in that fashion, not taking any chances by swinging wildly for the next bar.

Her arms ached by the time she reached the next platform. Four paces forward, and she wrapped her hands around the handlebars of the zip line, riding it to the ground and stumbling a little.

She started moving forward, ready to take on the ground crawl.

"Twenty paces to the rope crawl!"

"Liv, head towards eleven o'clock. The course is different from here on out."

"Olivia, turn right, the tire run is next!"

She turned a little to her left, not sure what to anticipate, but knowing Elliot wouldn't lead her astray.

Suddenly, Elliot spotted an agent with a paintball gun aimed at his partner. "Olivia, get down!"

She dropped to the ground just as the telltale pop of the gun clued her in on the sniper.

"Get up and run eight paces forward!"

"Six feet to two o'clock is a rock you can hide behind!"

She moved in the direction of the rock, keeping low and calculating the distance while pellets exploded around her. She was pegged in the side just before she found shelter behind the boulder. She sat a moment, catching her breath and rubbing the spot along her rib cage.

"Olivia, you're doing great!" she heard her partner call out above the continued instructions from the others.

When she was ready, she made her way cautiously to the next area Elliot called out. The paintball sniper had since moved on to the next agent on the course.

"Okay, one more pace forward, then stop."

She did so. All of a sudden, she felt a rush of air as something large swung in front of her. She recoiled a bit.

"Liv, just stay there!" Elliot said. "I'll guide you through it. When I say go, you take two steps forward!"

Soon a chorus of "Go"s erupted from the watching detectives and agents. She teetered on her toes, unsure of whether she could distinguish her partner's voice in merely one syllable.

"Go!"

She could. She quickly stepped forward, and felt the swoosh of the object behind her. But she wasn't in the clear yet. Another object swung in front of her.

Elliot yelled encouragement to her at having gotten past the first object. He studied the two punching bags swinging in front of her, calculating.

She strained to hear further instructions. "Elliot?" she called out uncertainly.

"Okay, Olivia, next you're gonna walk one pace, wait half a second, then three more paces."

She took a deep breath and nodded her understanding, then waited for his signal.

"Go!"

She took one pace, waited, then took three paces. Her thigh bumped what seemed to be a board right in front of her.

"Crouch down, Olivia."

She steadied herself with the 2x4 as she lowered herself to the ground. She could feel another object swinging like a pendulum just beyond the plank.

"When I tell you to, you're gonna roll under the board."

She waited. He signaled. She rolled under, thenstood up on the other side of the barrier and felt no more suspicious breezes ahead.

She could hear cheering, however, coming from the crowd of agents and detectives. She felt someone step in front of her, and knew immediately that it was her partner. He undid the blindfold, and she blinked at the sudden fierceness of daylight that assaulted her eyes.

She squinted into his beaming features and grinned.

In the corner of her vision, through the unfocused glare of her eyes readjusting, she caught movement. It took her brain all of a moment to realize another paintball sniper was set up, aiming not for her, but for Elliot. She pushed him away, causing him to fall backwards, and then she felt a concussive thump as the discharged capsule exploded on her collarbone, where it would have hit Elliot's shoulder blades had she not pushed him.

She walked gingerly towards a tree and slid down the trunk, trying to regain her breath.

"Hey, you okay?" Elliot asked uncertainly, crouching in front of her and placing a hand on her knee in concern.

She waited until her breathing returned to normal, then gave him a genuine smile and nodded, reaching her hands out for him to pull her up, which he did.

Elliot opened his arms and she stepped into them, wrapping her arms around his neck. Then she pulled back a bit and rubbed her paint-spattered cheek against his, leaving a bright blue streak across his face.

"Ugh, Olivia!" he protested good-naturedly.

She pulled away laughing mischievously.

* * *

"I'm just saying, what kind of former Marine slips off the crossing rope?" Olivia teased.

"Hey, the blindfold disoriented me," he defended.

"Right, that must be it," she answered patronizingly.

They walked arm in arm from the car to the hotel's entrance.

They passed the front desk and the clerk greeted them stiffly. They glanced towards him and returned the greeting, continuing on their way.

When they had turned the corner, Elliot murmured, "Something's wrong."

"Mm-hmm," Olivia agreed. They continued walking.

"We'll grab our weapons then go check it out," he said.

"You read my mind," she answered. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on the lobby. You go get our stuff."

"You got it," Elliot replied, dropping his hand from where it had rested across her shoulders.

He quickly retrieved their weapons from the lock box in their room, strapping on his holster and tucking hers into the waistband of his pants.

He walked purposefully down the hallway back towards the place he'd left his partner. She was still there, with one small difference.

There was a gun pointed at her head.

_**To be continued…**_

_That_ cliffhanger was on purpose. Oh, go ahead and rant…you know you waaaaant tooooo….


	16. Standoff

**_Author's note:_** I'm not evil…I just write that way.

**_Disclaimer:_** If I owned them, this would be an episode...a _two-parter_. (Insert evil laugh.)

* * *

"I want you to pull your weapons out slowly and kick them over to me," the man said. 

Elliot carefully unholstered his gun and put it on the floor, sliding it to the man.

"And the other one."

He reluctantly pulled Olivia's gun out of his waistband and sent it similarly towards the perp. He stared the man down for a moment. "You were in our room this morning," he stated.

"You have a keen grasp of the obvious."

"What do you want from us?" Elliot asked, unfazed by the man's sarcasm.

"This isn't about you. I'm here for someone else."

"And yet you've got my partner at gunpoint," Elliot replied through gritted teeth.

"You were going to interfere, and ruin everything!" the man shouted, his gun hand shaking slightly. Elliot stopped talking.

He took a moment to perform a quick visual inspection of Olivia. The cut on her jaw had opened up again, and she had blood dripping from a busted lip, but otherwise she seemed unhurt. Her eyes flashed anger, probably at herself for getting ambushed.

Elliot decided to take a different approach with this guy. "My name is Elliot, and my partner, the one you're holding at gunpoint, her name is Olivia. What's your name?"

He was momentarily taken aback, but he answered, "Jason."

"Jason, who is it you're really after here?"

"That bastard Smith!" he spat. "It's because of him that the F.B.I. didn't take me."

He was getting riled up again, waving the gun dangerously. Elliot became nervous. "Okay, okay, Jason, let's just relax, huh?" he said placatingly, holding out his hands in a pleading gesture. "Tell me what happened."

Jason took a deep breath and began to relay his story. Elliot listened attentively, encouragingly.

"And after all that, he failed me. By two points, he failed me! My entire future was ruined with those _two damn points!_" he concluded fiercely.

"I can understand how that would make you angry, Jason," Elliot answered. "But think about what you're doing right now. Olivia's hurt. She's bleeding."

Jason seemed to only just realize his behavior. He lowered the weapon a bit, but still kept his finger on the trigger.

"That's right, just relax. We're not against you, Jason. We want to help."

"What makes you think you _can_ help?" Jason challenged, bringing the weapon back up. Elliot grimaced slightly.

One step forward, two steps back.

"I just want to see you get out of here okay, Jason. There are at least 18 other detectives and agents here at this hotel. Do you really think that whatever you have planned will succeed?"

Wrong choice of words.

Jason's gaze snapped back up to Elliot's, burning. "You think I'm just some dumb common criminal," he alleged menacingly.

Elliot's heart rate increased, sensing his misstep. "No," he countered.

"Yes, you think I don't know what you're doing, but I know!"

"Jason, I'm just trying to make sure everyone gets out of this okay—"

"Stop talking to me like that!" Jason screamed. He tightened his arm around Olivia's neck.

Elliot opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off by a look from Jason.

Smith was in the lobby.

Jason motioned for Elliot to move. They went quickly to the laundry room, which was deserted.

"I'm sorry I have to do this," he said quietly. "But I can't have you interfering."

He raised his weapon and brought the butt of it down across Olivia's face. She crumpled to the floor, her head making a sickening crack on the corner of a washing machine on the way down.

Elliot stepped forward, but Jason raised his gun at him. "You stay here and look after your partner," he warned. "Don't meddle." With that, he ran out of the laundry room.

Elliot moved to kneel down beside Olivia. She was conscious, but dazed. Blood seeped from a new cut on her cheek, just below her eye. He also felt her head where it had made contact with the washing machine. She winced at the contact. He didn't feel any blood there.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked in concern.

"Yes, Elliot, I know where I am, who I am, who you are, and why the hell I'm on the floor. Just go get the guy before he shoots someone."

He brushed a hand across her forehead, still concerned for her safety, but knowing that he would have to trust that she'd be alright.

He grabbed a shirt off a nearby folding table, bundled it up, and placed it under her head. "Stay here, lie still," he instructed, meeting her eyes so she would know he was serious. She nodded, then abruptly stopped as it made her head ache.

He squeezed her shoulder once more before opening the door a crack and peering out, then exiting silently, having confirmed that the coast was clear.

* * *

He had gone back to his room to grab his backup weapon, then made his way cautiously towards the shouting taking place in the lobby. 

He chanced a quick glance around the corner, then ducked his head back into hiding to work out a plan.

He was ready. He took a deep breath and stepped out in full view. "Drop the weapon, Jason!"

Olivia heard three shots from two different guns, fired in rapid succession.

She hoped one of them wasn't pointing at her partner.

**_To be continued…_**

Before you get your bloomers in a twist, let me assure you…someone just got shot. Possibly more than one someone.What do you mean, that wasn't reassuring? Geez, you people are so hard to please!


	17. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

**_Author's note:_** I'm not answering any questions without my lawyer present.

**_Disclaimer:_** Ditto.

* * *

"I _warned_ you! I told you not to interfere! It's on _your_ head!" Jason was screaming at Elliot, who sat on the floor, bleeding from a leg wound. 

"Jason, there are better ways to handle this. There are innocent people staying at this hotel. Did you think about them at all?"

"If he hadn't failed me…" he trailed off, pointing his gun back at Smith, who was also on the floor, cradling his right arm.

"You weren't fit for the F.B.I.," Smith spat.

"I'm _more than qualified_!" Jason yelled, waving the gun wildly, his hands shaking.

"Jason," Elliot interrupted. He swung his weapon back at the detective. "Jason, I believe you. You appear to be very athletic…and quite skilled with a weapon. But did you ever consider taking the quals again? _Proving _your worth?"

"You're talking down to me again." His voice had taken on a dangerously calm tone. "I hate it when people talk down to me."

He swung his weapon back to Smith, but kept his eyes on Elliot. "He always talked down to me, too." He addressed Smith. "Get up."

Smith stood slowly, gritting his teeth and grunting at the pain movement caused his bleeding shoulder. Jason took careful aim at Smith. The special agent closed his eyes, preparing for the bullet.

The gunshot echoed around the lobby.

Jason looked momentarily surprised, then dropped the weapon. He turned around slowly and found himself staring down the barrel of a smoking .25 caliber handgun. He gripped his bleeding side and collapsed to the floor.

Olivia stepped forward and kicked Jason's gun away, then quickly searched him for the other weapons he'd taken. She holstered her own gun, then went over to Elliot, who still sat stunned on the floor.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked, pulling his hand away from the crimson spot high on his leg.

"Yeah, he missed the important stuff," he said, almost crossing his legs at the thought.

Olivia laughed and shook her head reprovingly, then placed his hand back on the wound. "Keep pressure on that. He seems to have also missed the femoral artery."

She leaned over, gave him a brief kiss on the forehead, then stood and swayed a bit, still woozy from hitting her head.

"Liv…" Elliot said warningly.

"I'm fine. I'm just gonna check on Smith." This last was said with great reluctance as she moved towards the agent, who was leaning heavily against the wall.

"Agent Smith, are you alright?" she asked hesitantly, not wanting to approach in case he didn't want her help.

"He's a terrible shot," Smith grunted.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "The paramedics are on the way."

She moved back to Jason, whose wound was a clean shot through the side. Oliviahadn't wantedto kill him, but she wanted to drop him. She examined the wound visually, tutting and shaking her head. "Keep pressure on that. It's not a serious wound, but it'll still bleed."

He obeyed, having lost all anger he had felt.

Elliot, meanwhile, had used a nearby planter as leverage to get himself up. He was standing on one leg, maintaining pressure on the other with a makeshift tourniquet from a strip of his shirt.

Olivia looked over at him sternly. She walked over purposefully, ready to chastise him. She never got the chance as she finally succumbed to her lightheadedness.

Olivia was unconscious and in her partner's grasp before she even realized it.

* * *

She woke to the unmistakable sterile brightness of a hospital room. She shut her eyes against the glare. Her head was killing her. 

"You'd think they would have friendly ambient lighting in these places, wouldn't you?"

She turned her head in the direction of her partner's voice. He was in the hospital bed next to hers, his leg suspended, a brace around his entire thigh.

"Would it kill them?" she asked gripingly.

They grinned across the space.

"Well look who's awake!" Curry crowed, walking into the room.

Reynolds was a step behind. "True heroes."

"Hey, guys," Elliot greeted.

"So listen," Reynolds began, plopping himself down in a chair. "Smith—he's fine, by the way—he says that graduation is today at 1700. That's in about…" he checked his watch, "three hours. He expects everyone to attend."

"He can go screw himself," Elliot said. "Olivia just saved his ass. I think a pass is the least he could do."

"We actually argued that point," Curry said earnestly. "But he insists. He says anyone who doesn't show has the pleasure of attending next year's seminar."

Curry and Reynolds looked back and forth between the partners, who seemed to be weighing their options.

"Son of a bitch," Olivia swore.

* * *

"…through physical and mental challenges, you made it. You should all be proud of yourselves for getting through this week." Smith, arm bandaged and in a sling, stood at the podium that had been set up in what had served as the paintball field earlier that week. 

"So now when I call your names, I'd like you to come up to the podium and receive your diploma."

He called them in pairs. The partners came up, each received his diploma, then lined up off to the side. He didn't shake their hands, as his right one was out of commission, but he offered each agent and detective a straight "Congratulations."

"Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson," he finally called, after everyone else had been announced.

They helped each other up, both a little the worse for wear after their week. Elliot's leg sported a brace, and he walked on crutches. Olivia's limbs were all operational, but she was still slightly sensitive to light and sound after her mild concussion, and was somewhat unsteady on her feet.

Elliot accepted his diploma first, then moved out of the way so Olivia could face Smith.

When she stood in front of him, chin held high, he merely gazed at her. Everyone held their breath to see what was going to happen. It was never a secret that he didn't think she belonged.

Finally, after the intimidating pause, he carefully pulled his arm out of his sling, holding out his hand for her to shake.

She looked down at it, the entire week passing through her head of how he had treated her, starting with that very first gesture on her part and ending with the sneer she had caught as she nursed her collarbone after taking a paintball for her partner the previous day.

She held out her own hand and gripped his firmly.

There were whoops and cheers from the onlookers as she accepted the diploma from him, and he congratulated her sincerely, then thanked her.

She couldn't keep the grin from her face any longer. She beamed victoriously at her partner, who enveloped her in a warm hug, losing his crutches in the process.

They all gathered for a group photo, and while everyone adjusted, Curry whispered something in Olivia's ear and Reynolds leaned over and spoke to Elliot.

"Okay, everyone, picture on three!"

He began counting. On "One," Olivia nodded discreetly to Curry and Elliot did the same to Reynolds.

"Two." Olivia turned and grabbed Elliot's face in her hands while he cupped the back of her neck with one hand and slid the other around her waist.

"Three!"

**_To be continued…_**

One more chapter, then I'm done, doo-dah, doo-dah…please review, I beg of you, oh, the doo-dah-day….


	18. Homecoming

**_Author's note:_** I wanted to thank each and every one of you who reviewed and kept me motivated. But since there are too many of you to name, I'll just say a general thanks. Not because I'm ungrateful, but because I'm too lazy to write them all, and too diplomatic to just write the ones I remember.

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't have much money, but boy if I did, I'd buy a big house where…I'd put all these characters, whom I'd also buy.

* * *

Elliot and Olivia both agreed that she would be driving them to work for a while until his leg was fully healed. They took the elevator up to their floor, and Elliot limped a step behind her, having gotten rid of the crutches a few days ago. 

This was their first day back at work since the conference.

They walked through the doors, and went straight to their desks.

"Coffee, Elliot?"

"Only if John didn't make it," he answered. Olivia glanced over at the coffee station, the dark substance in the carafe looking less like a liquid than a pot full of mud.

"I can get us something at the coffee shop in a little bit," she said, sitting at her own desk and looking across to her partner, who had been staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Nothin'," he answered, diverting his attention to the piles of paperwork in his inbox.

She stared a moment longer, then also went to work on her stack of folders.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," John called out, walking out of the captain's office.

"Damn, you two look like you both went up against Mohammed Ali. What did they do to you at that conference?" Fin exclaimed, taking in his coworkers' various cuts, bruises, and leg braces.

"Let's just say that next year, you and Munch can go to the workshop. I think Liv and I have had enough teambuilding to last us the rest of our natural lives."

"Stabler, Benson," Cragen called out from his office. "Can I see you in here?"

They looked at each other uncertainly. The captain seemed angry.

Olivia stood up and waited for Elliot to push himself slowly out of his chair and hobble over to join her. They entered Cragen's office together.

"Close the door," he said shortly. "Have a seat."

Elliot flopped heavily into the nearest chair, and Olivia took the one next to him, slightly more gracefully. They waited warily.

Cragen looked them over. "You two look like hell."

"We had an interesting week," was all Olivia could think to say. They knew Cragen had received an incident report, as he'd called them to make sure they were both okay.

"So I hear," he replied disinterestedly. He shuffled a few piles around and dug out a documents envelope. "I was handed this earlier this morning. Care to explain it?" He tossed the folder at Elliot, who caught it.

He glanced over at Olivia, then opened the flap to see what was inside. She sidled her chair up next to Elliot's, leaning towards him to get a better view of what was in the envelope.

He pulled out the contents, a single piece of paper. They stared at it in confusion, not sure of what to say.

"Well?" Cragen prompted.

"It was…" Elliot started. "I mean, we just…"

"It was my fault," Olivia blurted.

Cragen pierced her with a glare.

Elliot looked over at her, then said, "No, it was _my_ idea. She had nothing to do with it."

"He's just trying to cover for me, he had no clue—"

"—she just doesn't want me to get in trouble, but it was totally—"

"Alright, enough, _both of you_," Cragen yelled. He walked around his desk and took the paper back from Elliot, placing it and the envelope back on his desk. He worked slowly, seeming to contemplate his next course of action.

Finally, he said, "Actually, I just wanted to pull you two in here to warn you that Fin and Munch are making copies."

There was a moment where the two detectives were taken off guard, then:

"Awww, Cap'n. Really!" Elliot complained.

"Did you have to show them?" Olivia chimed.

"Hey, it's out of my hands now," he answered, laughing. "You guys just better be prepared to face that one for a while."

A short detailing of the week's events followed, and when Elliot and Olivia exited Cragen's office, they went back to their desks.

Both of them had a copy of the paper placed neatly on top of their inbox stack.

Olivia rolled her eyes and moved hers to the side while she worked on the tower of files. Elliot picked his up and looked at it, a slight smile pulling unbidden at the corners of his mouth.

He held a photocopy of the group picture at the seminar graduation. Everyone in the photo was looking at the camera except for the two of them. They were too caught up in the kiss to notice the flash.

You can't just say no to a double-dog dare.

_**End**_

I never tire of reviews. Thanks for sticking with the story. Oh, and I almost forgot. (Tosses sunscreen into the fray.) Happy slathering! Be thorough! Can't have him getting sunburned now, can we?


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